SCO's appeal comes from commitment to "Shanghai Spirit": secretary-general

The 'Shanghai Spirit' of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, advocated by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is the key to the expanding influence and appeal of the SCO, the organization's secretary-general Zhang Ming said in an exclusive interview with the China Media Group(CMG).

First founded in Shanghai back in 2001, the SCO has grown into a trans-regional organization comprised of 10 full members, two observer states, and 14 dialog partners. Back in July, Belarus was formally accepted as the 10th member state of the organization at the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in Astana.

Noting the entire SCO "family" now totals 26 members, Zhang said there are further applications awaiting approval.

He pointed to the organization's commitment to its core principles as outlined in the "Shanghai Spirit", which has been guiding the organization since its inception, as being the "secret" to its success.

"The development and expansion of the SCO shows the improvement of its influence, appeal and attraction. What is the secret behind it? I have also thought about this question. I think, it is the basic principles and rules advocated and upheld by the SCO, and the 'Shanghai Spirit' we have been always upholding, that give the organization such attraction. Under the guidance of the SCO spirit, we have always advocated fairness, respect, and equality. Our member states can be very comfortable, and share good relations with each other in this family. All cooperation we promote within the framework of the SCO is based on our consensus, and all cooperation is mutually beneficial. This kind of cooperation has brought great impetus to the development of every member state. Such benefits can also generate appeal, drawing more countries to join such a family," he said. China took over the rotating presidency of the SCO for 2024-2025 back in July, and will next year host the 25th meeting of SCO Heads of State Council.

SCO's appeal comes from commitment to "Shanghai Spirit": secretary-general

Over 80,000 foreign travelers have entered south China's Hainan Province visa-free since the launch of the island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), an increase of 64 percent year on year, according to official data.

Since the special customs operations began on Dec 18, 2025, ports across the province have maintained stable operation, with the number of foreign travelers continuously growing.

Data from the Haikou General Station of Immigration Inspection showed that from Dec 18, 2025 to Friday, ports across Hainan inspected 180,000 foreign nationals entering and exiting the country, an increase of 46.5 percent year on year, accounting for 58.6 percent of the total number of inbound and outbound travelers during the same period.

A total of 80,000 foreign travelers entered under visa-free policies, accounting for 94.2 percent of the total number of foreign tourists entering the country during the period.

Most of the foreign travelers came to China for tourism, who were mainly from Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, and Singapore.

Hainan sees sharp increase in foreign travelers entering visa-free